Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Science, University of Malaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 3;19(15):9566. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159566.
Long COVID-19 has been defined as the condition occurring in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, with related symptoms lasting at least 2 months and not explainable by an alternative diagnosis. The practice of digital physiotherapy presents itself as a promising complementary treatment method to standard physiotherapy, playing a key role in the recovery of function in subjects who have passed the disease and who maintain some symptomatology over time. The aims of this research are to explore the effect of a digital physiotherapy intervention on functional recovery in patients diagnosed with Long COVID-19 and to identify the level of adherence to the treatment carried out. A quasi-experimental pre-post study assessed initially and at the end of the 4-week intervention the functional capacity (1-min STS and SPPB) and the adherence (software) of a total of 32 participants. After the 4-week digital physiotherapy practice intervention with an individualised and customise exercise programme, a statistically significant improvement was observed (p < 0.05) with a small to medium effect size, high adherence rates and values above the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). We consider our intervention feasible, safe and consistent with our objectives. However, further randomised clinical trials and studies with larger samples are needed to draw extrapolable conclusions. Trial registration NCT04742946.
长新冠定义为个体在可能或确诊 SARS-CoV-2 感染后出现相关症状持续至少 2 个月，且无法用其他诊断解释的病症。数字物理疗法作为一种有前途的标准物理疗法补充治疗方法，在疾病康复和随着时间推移仍存在一些症状的患者的功能恢复中发挥着关键作用。本研究旨在探索数字物理疗法干预对长新冠患者功能恢复的影响，并确定治疗的依从性水平。一项准实验性前后研究共评估了 32 名参与者的功能能力（1 分钟 STS 和 SPPB）和依从性（软件），在 4 周的干预结束时。在进行了 4 周的个体化和定制运动方案的数字物理疗法实践干预后，观察到具有统计学意义的改善（p < 0.05），具有小到中等的效应量、高依从率和高于最小临床重要差异（MCID）的值。我们认为我们的干预措施是可行的、安全的，并且符合我们的目标。然而，需要进一步的随机临床试验和更大样本量的研究来得出可推广的结论。试验注册 NCT04742946。
